phrasal verb · neutral
break into
/breɪk ˈɪntuː/BREAK INTO
1) to enter a place illegally, often by force; 2) to suddenly begin doing something (e.g. laugh or sing)
Examples
“Thieves broke into the warehouse and stole equipment.”
“She broke into laughter when she heard the joke.”
“He wants to break into the film industry as a screenwriter.”
Band 8 sentence
“The criminals broke into the distribution centre at dawn, bypassing the alarm system with surprising ease.”
Collocations
- break into + building/car
- break into + laughter/song
- break into + industry (e.g. break into the market)
Word family
Common mistakes
break in the house→break into the house
broke into the shop yesterday (meaning: entered legally)→went into the shop yesterday
break into laugh→break into laughter
Say it for a higher band
5enter illegally→6burgle→7+break into
Synonyms
burgle
intrude
Easily confused
break in
“He broke in the new boots before the long hike so they wouldn't hurt his feet.”
Related words
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